Are Opposite-Gender Friends a Threat?
If you are in a relationship, it is natural to become a little territorial. Your significant other is all your’s, and you don’t want to share them with any random person that passes by. But what if it isn’t just a random person, and the person trying to spend time with your significant other is a close friend…of the opposite sex?
Having friends of the opposite sex is totally normal. But when it comes to your significant other having opposite-gender friends, things get more complicated. Is it normal to feel a little jealous or insecure about another woman in your man’s life?
To be honest, it depends. Is there anything concrete to be concerned about? If it is a long-time friend, chances are they are just friends, and there is nothing to worry about. But there is always the chance that he and that friend have a romantic past. What about a new work friend — it can be strictly professional or a secret crush. As you can see, there is endless speculation that can happen, and all that worrying is unhealthy.
In order to ease your mind and begin to accept your significant other’s opposite-sex friends without having to question every little thing, here are a few things you need to work on:
Be honest
Honesty is the best policy. If you have any questions about your significant other’s friend, just ask! Why let your mind wander when you can get the truth straight up. If you have any doubts, sit down with your partner and lay it all out. Hopefully this will result in an eased mind with no concerns at all.
Stand in their shoes
Think about what you would do if the roles were reversed. If your significant other questioned your platonic friendship with a guy, you would probably get annoyed. Opposite-sex friendships are normal. Unless you completely avoid the opposite sex except for your partner, you are a hypocrite. As long as no one is cheating on the other emotionally or physically, you are all good. Your partner can have all the girls who are friends they want, as long as you are the only girlfriend.
Trust each other
At the end of the day, it is all about trust. Your partner can answer all your questions and try to ease your mind, but you will only find peace if you trust your partner unconditionally. If you don’t trust one another, you might have bigger problems headed your way. So trust one another, and don’t half-ass it. If you trust someone, then you must trust them whole-heartedly.
You need to accept that your partner might have friends of the opposite sex. You don’t have to be friends with their opposite-sex friends. You don’t even have to like them, but you should trust your significant other. That trust is the glue that will keep your relationship together, healthy and happy. You don’t have to offer to hangout with all your partner’s opposite-gender friends, because that might be weird, but trust that you have nothing to worry about.
Born and raised in Northern Virginia, Christina aspires to be a public relations professional in a big city after graduation from James Madison University. In her free time when she’s not blogging away about dating and relationships, Christina loves to go shopping, watch Netflix and play with every puppy that crosses her path.